Grids for Kids!

Background

In early 2023 I spearheaded a project called "Grids for Kids," which was aimed at raising funds for youth charities. We raised more than $7,000 across 36 different charities, with The Trevor Project and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital accounting for more than half of that total.

Now, since our domain has expired, I have decided to preserve our efforts by hosting the puzzles here on my own site. I will not be tracking donations from this point forward, so these puzzles are invariably free for anyone who wants to solve them. Enjoy!

Puzzles

If you would like each pack in its entirety, please download the .zip files which include both digital and PDF formats. Each puzzle is offered individually in the list below if you would prefer to pick and choose.

Kids' Pack Complete (.zip)

  • 8x8 - "Colorful Characters 1" by Katie Hale, ed. Juliana Tringali Golden (pdf)
  • 8x8 - "Colorful Characters 2" by Katie Hale, ed. Juliana Tringali Golden (pdf)
  • 7x7 - "Ready for a Challenge? 1" by Robin Stears, ed. Juliana Tringali Golden (online | puz | pdf)
  • 7x7 - "Ready for a Challenge? 2"  by Robin Stears, ed. Juliana Tringali Golden (online | puz | pdf)
  • 9x9 - "Can You Crack It? 1" by Juliana Tringali Golden, ed. Christina Iverson (online | puz | pdf)
  • 9x9 - "Can You Crack It? 2" by Juliana Tringali Golden, ed. Christina Iverson (online | puz | pdf)

Grids Pack Complete (.zip)

  • 15x15 - "(Not) a Real Snoozefest" by Jess Shulman & Amie Walker, ed. Christina Iverson (online | puz | pdf)
  • 15x15 - "Crib Sheets" by Sam Buchbinder, ed. Taylor Johnson (online | puz | pdf)
  • 15x15 - "Changing Table" by Matt Forest, ed. Taylor Johnson (online | puz | pdf)
  • 16x15 - "Close Contact" by Will Nediger, ed. Christina Iverson (online | puz | pdf)
  • 15x15 - "Feeling My Oats" by Patrick Blindauer, ed. Juliana Tringali Golden (online | puz | pdf)
  • 15x15 - "Baby Talk" by Trent Evans & Shannon Rapp, ed. Christina Iverson (online | puz | pdf)
  • 21x21 - "Tonversations with my Toddler" by Katie Hale & Christina Iverson, ed. Taylor Johnson (online | puz | pdf)
  • 15x15 - "Things Fall Apart" by Kate Schutzengel, ed. Juliana Tringali Golden (online | puz | pdf)
  • 15x15 - "Curious, Eh?" by Taylor Johnson, ed. Christina Iverson (online | puz | pdf)
  • 16x15 - "See You Soon" by Hoang-Kim Vu, ed. Taylor Johnson (online | puz | pdf)
  • 15x15 - "Just Keep Swimming" by Brian Thomas, ed. Taylor Johnson (online | puz | pdf)
  • 15x15 - "A Wrinkle in Time" by Laura Braunstein & Jesse Lansner, ed. Taylor Johnson (online | puz | pdf)
  • 15x15 - "Growth Chart" by Sally Hoelscher and Matt Forest, ed. Juliana Tringali Golden (online | puz | pdf)
  • 15x15 - "Family Game Night" by Leinana Two Moons, ed. Taylor Johnson (online | puz | pdf)
  • 17x17 - "College-Bound" by Laura Dershewitz, ed. Juliana Tringali Golden (online | puz | pdf)
  • 15x15 - "Room Available" by Nancy Serrano-Wu, ed. Christina Iverson (online | puz | pdf)
  • 19x17 - "Parental Playlist" by Barbara Lin, ed. Christina Iverson (online | puz | pdf)
  • 11x11 Cryptic - "Won't You Solve Our Puzzle?" by Jess Shulman & Erica Hsuing Wojcik, ed. Steve Mossberg & Liari (online | puz | pdf)
  • 16x18 - Variety Cryptic - "Small Creatures" by Aaron Riccio, ed. Steve Mossberg & Liari (online | ipuz | pdf)

Comments

Post a Comment

Share your thoughts about the puzzles to help me grow as a constructor. I enjoy hearing all about your solving experience. Thanks!

Popular posts from this blog

Easy Peasy!

Image
Easy and peasy?! No way! I guess I'll let the solve speak for itself, but at the very least I hope you find some enjoyment in this midi-sized puzzle. Why a midi, you ask? Well, because midi's can be fun, too! Sound off in the comments if you feel so inclined, or hit me up on  Twitter . I'm always open to constructive feedback! puz  |  PDF  |  solution Matt's Musings This puzzle came about when the reveal popped into my head and I thought, "Hmm, I might be able to build something around this!" I first dabbled with a themeless concept, intending to make the grid and clues super duper simple (the "aha" coming when a solver realizes, "Oh, this whole THING is a piece of cake!"). However, I couldn't resist the temptation to cake it up a notch and search for a theme angle. I'm happy with the result, and the happenstance of the theme words being able to cross a lower-third reveal convinced me, "Yes, this is it!" Of ...
Go to Puz! »

Down and Out!

Image
Two weeks into 2023 and I'm finally starting to write dates correctly! I also decided to spit out a blog puzzle in the midst of some other crossword projects - I'm not sure why I chose to pile on to my workload but I guess I really enjoy making these things! I want to kick off the year with a bit of experimentation in the online solver. I added images in several places to "enhance" some clues and I'm curious how this plays for you. If you prefer text-only clues, just download the .puz or PDF. Please share your thoughts  in the comments or hit me up on  Twitter  (I'm starting to wonder if it might actually stick around??). Hope you enjoy the puzzle! puz  |  PDF  |  solution Matt's Musings Well, there you have it! Did the title lead you in the right, er, down direction? I hope it wasn't too much of a stretch to figure out was was going on with those three full-length down entries. Just in case it wasn't obvious, you are supposed to app...
Go to Puz! »

Not That Kind of Ent!

Image
This puzzle is the result of asking Twitter to pitch me a theme prompt. Shout out to Elise Corbin  for taking the bait and requiring me to stretch my brain a little bit, and also for giving this a test run! I was skeptical at first, but I'm very happy with how it turned out. Rest assured that if I wasn't able to make this work I would not have published the puzzle! Find  me on  Twitter  if you want to tease me with a new prompt or chat about puzzles . Enjoy the solve! puz  |   PDF  |   solution Matt's Musings This was not a case of my theme well running dry. I still have plenty of half-formed ideas floating around! While in the midst of some other crossword projects and trying to push more mainstream puzzles (including some super fun collabs - keep an eye out!), I decided to engage the community to see if I could build a puzzle around a spontaneous prompt, and Elise threw me a juicy curveball. Otorhinolaryngology https://t.co/...
Go to Puz! »